English Language Practice Questions for IBPS Clerk – Set 13
Directions
(1 – 5): Read the following group of sentences. The 1st and the last
sentences are numbered 1 and 6, the rest are numbered P,Q,R,S. Arrange these
four sentences in proper order to form a meaningful paragraph/sentence.
1. 1.Today’s
world is less supportive of our region’s economic growth and offers more
difficult choices than the binary ones of the Cold War
P.The
rise of China, and her quest for primacy, first in Asia and then globally, and
her hierarchical view of an international order centred on herself, epitomised
by the Belt Road Initiative (BRI),
Q.Both
world politics and the world economy are fragmenting and becoming increasingly
regional
R.Protectionism
has risen around the world.
S.Nor
does it offer the economic opportunities of the years before the world economic
crisis of 2008.
6.pose
a new set of questions and challenges to the established order and to western
supremacy.
a) QSRP
b) PSRQ
c) SRPQ
d) PQSR
e) SQRP
2. 1.India,
exceptionally, chose to base her nationalism not on a common religion,
ethnicity, language or enemy, but on an idea of India.
P.The
short geopolitical point is that the very high degree of cultural and other
affinities across state boundaries in the old nations but
Q.This
idea of Indian nationhood is under some political attack now, but it seems
likely to hold firm as it objectively serves the interest of most of the
population, and is seen to do so by most Indians.
R.Given
the plural and diverse nature of its society, India chose after independence to
be a democracy, where every social segment has a say.
S.New
states of south Asia make for sensitive and touchy nationalist reactions and
6.
Strong defences of sovereignty by states.
a) RQPS
b) PRSQ
c) QPSR
d) PQSR
e) RSQP
3. 1.For the
first time in decades, central banks face attack not just in emerging
markets but in the US, the Eurozone, and the UK.
P. Leaving
aside the rationales that led to central bank independence in the first place,
Q.These
attacks represent a risk to global markets in 2017 by threatening to
R.Politicians
have taken to blaming central bankers for political and economic woes of every
sort.
S.Upend
central banks' roles as technocratic institutions that
6.Provide
financial and economic stability.
a) PSRQ
b) PQSR
c) RSPQ
d) PRQS
e) SRQP
4. 1.The economic
effects of Brexit were a major area of debate during the Referendum
on UK membership of the European Union, and
P.Supporters
of remaining, including the UK treasury, argued that being in the EU has a
strong positive effect on trade and
Q.The
debate continues after the Leave vote.
R.Supporters
of withdrawal from the EU have argued that the cessation of
S.
As a result the UK's trade would be worse off if it left the EU.
6.Net
contributions to the EU would allow for some cuts to taxes or increase in
government spending.
a) PSQR
b) RSPQ
c) QPSR
d) SRPQ
e) PRSQ
5. 1.Trump
campaigned on a pledge to “Make America Great Again” but also on promises to
build an “America first” approach to the world.
P.but
Trump’s view also implies a purely transactional approach
Q.That
will come as welcome news to many around the world who don’t trust Washington
R.That
means resolute rejection of the idea, central to US foreign policy since
1945,
S.that
America is the indispensable leader in world affairs.
6.to
relationships, including with traditional allies.
a) PQSR
b) RSQP
c) QSRP
d) SQPR
e) PQRS
Directions
(6 – 15): Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each
question, out of five alternatives.
Before
the dust from building collapse at Bhendi Bazaar had settled, the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) quickly tried to absolve itself of
blame, saying that Husseini building was constructed by the Maharashtra Housing
and Area Development Authority (MHADA). MHADA in turn held the Saifee Burhani
Upliftment Trust (SBUT) responsible. In response, an SBUT spokesperson said,
“In 2011, MHADA had issued notices of buildings that are dilapidated. Post
that, SBUT had offered transit accommodation, and 50% of the occupants had
shifted but the rest were reluctant to shift and said they will have a look
later. We don’t want to blame anyone but we tried our level best to convince
them.”
So,
who is responsible and accountable when a building collapses?
Under
Section 353B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act 1888, it is
obligatory for every owner and occupier of buildings more than 30 years old to
have them inspected every ten years by qualified structural engineers
registered with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. It is based on
audits from these independent professionals that the BMC decides whether a
building is dangerous to live in or not. But these engineers are not government
employees and are not accountable for their actions. And since the onus is
on the owners and occupants, it is easy for the BMC to wash its hands off the
matter if they do not comply. There are very few cases where BMC officials have
had any kind of complaints registered against them. In the very few cases where
they have been blamed, they have gone scot free, because, as public
servants, under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, sanctions are
required to prosecute them. Mr. Merchant says, “This section has been widely
misused.” Johny Joseph, a former Maharashtra chief secretary who also headed
the BMC, says, “Engineers have to inspect the building under the Mumbai
Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP) and restore and repair according to what is
needed. If it is not done, they can be prosecuted under the MRTP Act. The
negligence angle has to come from the higher authorities
But
despite this, the problem is affixing blame. Senior lawyer Amit Desai quotes
the collapse of Altaf Mansion in Mahim in 2013: In that case, there was a
combination of factors that could have caused or contributed to the collapse:
occupants of the basement had made illegal alterations, they had not obtained
the necessary approvals, and complaints from tenants about the state of the
building were not responded to. “Therefore, section 304 II of the IPC — culpable homicide
not amounting to murder — was applied.” In another case the same year, when a
building collapsed in Mazgaon, the presiding magistrate even brought in the
Municipal Commissioner, but the case was quashed by the High
Court, because there was no material evidence.
Mr.
Desai says that the issue is that neither the IPC or MMC Act have an offence
called ‘building collapse,’ and the only remedy for that is legislation that
outlines the various possible scenarios at every stage of passing the plan or
report, so that a person at particular stage can be deemed guilty if he or she
has not exercised due diligence. Unless that is done, he says, “It is the
causes of the collapse that gives rise to the liability. So if the cause of the
collapse has nothing to do with the BMC, then they can’t be held liable.” The
way forward, he suggests, is “Amend the MMC Act and create this as a substantive offence,
with proper guidelines and strength and let them approve it.”
6. According
to the passage, who are responsible for the building collapses.
a) Alterations
to the buildings by the residents
b) The
licensed engineers who are appointed to inspect the building
c) Local
Municipal Corporation
d) The
climatic changes occurring in the environment
e) Misused
sections from Municipal Corporation Acts
7. Name the
provision that makes it compulsory for engineers to inspect the building and to
take necessary actions.
a) Section
304 II of the IPC
b) Section
353B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act 1888
c) Mumbai
Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP)
d) Section
197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
e) Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) Act
8. What is
the weakest link in the Indian Constitution pertaining to building collapse?
a) Public
servants not taking actions under Section 197
b) Not
bringing licensed engineers under the liability of the damage
c) Period
for inspection of building is not clearly defined
d) Inadequate
clauses of homicide are applied
e) IPC and
MMC does not recognise 'building collapse' as an offence
9. What
does the phrase 'gone scot free' convey in the passage?
a) to be
disposed of very quickly
b) to be
unconcerned of the situation
c) to go
unpunished
d) to
suffer painful anxiety
e) to
challenge everything
10. Choose
the correct synonym of the word - Absolve.
a) Discharge
b) Hinder
c) Prohibit
d) Condemn
e) Punish
11. Choose
the correct synonym of the word - Culpable
a) Innocent
b) Predictable
c) Devastation
d) Guilty
e) Effective
12. Choose
the correct synonym of the word - Onus
a) Collapse
b) Accountability
c) Preference
d) Source
e) Destiny
13. Choose
the correct synonym of the word - Quashed
a) Revoke
b) Assist
c) Foster
d) Nurture
e) Conundrum
14. Choose
the correct synonym of the word - Substantive
a) Measly
b) Picayunish
c) Considerable
d) Marginal
e) Insignificant
15. Why
Government slips away from taking the responsibility of the incident?
a) It keeps
on transferring responsibility from one department to another
b) Vague
provisions in the Constitution
c) Corruption
d) Weak
Infrastructure for complaint redressal
e) Manipulation
of the sentiments of the people
Answers with Explanation:
1. E) S elaborates what is introduced in
the first sentence. So, it follows 1.Q continues the discussion and it ends in
R. So Q Follows S and R follows Q.P gives an example of the discussed issue
which ends in 6. So, P follows R. Therefore (E) is the answer.
2. A) R explains
what is mentioned in the first sentence.Therefore it follows 1.The present
condition of the mentioned situation of the first sentence is defined in Q
.Hence, it follows R.P discusses the reason behind such condition.So it follows
Q and continues in S. So S comes after P.Therefore option (A) is the answer.
3. D) P begins to
discuss the importance of the situation mentioned in the first sentence.
Therefore it follows 1 and it ends in R .So R follows P.Q starts to inform what
the mentioned situation represents and that is why Q follows R . R ends
with a preposition'to' that hints at the purpose of the action, i.e.
'threatening' mentioned at the end of the sentence. In S it can be found. So S
comes after Q. Therefore option (D) is the answer.
4. C) Q completes
the first sentence so it comes after 1.P begins to discuss the reason behind
the situation mentioned in the first sentence and this ends in S. Therefore P
follows Q and S follows P.R continues to explain the reason and it ends in 6.
That is why R comes after S. Therefore option (C) is the answer.
5. B) R explains
the first sentence therefore it comes after 1.But R is not a complete sentence
and in S the incomplete part of R can be found therefore S follows R.After that
Q begins to explain the effect of the action mentioned in the first sentence
which continues in P and ends in 6. Therefore Q follows S and P follows Q.
Hence option (B) is the answer.
6. B) 7. C) 8. E) 9. C)
10. A) 11. D) 12. B)
13. A) 14. C) 15. A)
